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Worldwide Quilting Day is upon us again, taking place this Saturday, March 21, 2015. Even though the day is highlighted, it actually kicks off a full month of activities, ending on April 21. And we’ve come up with 10 great ways to enjoy this annual celebration:

10. Gather a few fabric-loving friends (and your favorite snacks) for a modern quilting bee.

9. Share your love of quilting with a young person.

8. Join a local guild. (Already belong to one? Join a second one!)

7. Devote some time to your creative space by tidying up, or stitch up a new mug rug, or pincushion.

6. Create a charity quilt for a nearby hospital or other organization.

…You’ll find the perfect post-winter inspiration in the form of a quilt project by Sarah Maxwell and Dolores Smith, mixing prints from VICTORIA PARK (by Karen Styles) and SOFTLY SPOKEN (by Harriet Hargrave). Its easy nine-patch construction and light color palette make it the perfect first project for spring.

Look for the April/May issue on newsstands beginning March 3, 2015. Instructions are included in the issue, and a fabric kit is available.

A big THANK YOU to all of our quilting friends for participating in our Lucy Boston Challenge this weekend at the Road to CA event! With over 125 blocks completed this weekend, we appreciate your talents, comments and enthusiasm, and we can’t wait to unveil the finished project. Pati says, “Looks like we will be making a couple of quilts for the ALS donation. Thank you all that participated. I had the best time seeing how excited you all were to hand in your blocks.”

Hi, I’m Lisa Shepard Stewart, marketing manager at Marcus. If you’re a regular reader of our website, blog posts, press releases and newsletters, chances are I’ve written it. In addition to working part-time for Marcus, I own a company called Cultured Expressions, specializing in the creative use of authentic African textiles for decorating, quilting, sewing and crafts.

Well, if you’ve followed us this far in the sew-along, you’re likely already a big fan of Repro prints. But even if you’re like me, and the Repros aren’t necessarily your go-to category when you quilt, I’d encourage you to try mixing them in with your favorites and see what happens. (The many deep, saturated colors and earthy tones of some repros would look great pieced in with bogolan / mudcloth from Mali or even Indian raw silks for a different take, but I digress…)

By now I know you can’t wait for the big reveal of the “Friends & Companions” quilt next week, so let’s get on with the instructions for the final block! For this block, you’ll need the following from Paula Barnes Companions: 1035-0112 Black, 1034-0111 Burgundy, 1702-0116 Sage, 1038-0188 Beige, 1033-0128 Cheddar

1. Sew burgundy strip to sage strip. Sew cheddar strip to the other side of the sage. Press. From this pieced strip, cut (4) 3½” sections.

2. Sew one sage square to each of the four 2½” beige strips. Sew one black square to each of the four 3½” beige strips.*

Note: In the first photo, the beige strip under the machine needle is about to be trimmed down to 2.5″ as the first two were. Next, the units are simply cut apart, then pressed.

(*As an alternate piecing method, stitch the first square to the beige strip. Without removing the piece from the sewing machine, trim the beige strip to 2½” long, Stitch the next sage square to the remaining length of beige strip, and again trim the beige strip to 2½” long. Repeat until you have the four green-tipped strips, and four black-tipped strips. Cut strips apart; press.

3. Stitch the green-tipped strips to the four Rail Fence sections, lining up the sage square and cheddar strip as shown.

4. Stitch the black-tipped strips to the units, lining up the black square to the burgundy side as shown.

5. Join the four units as shown; square up for an unfinished block size of 8.5″.

Remember to leave a comment below for your chance at this week’s goodies – a bundle of Marcus fabrics in dark reds, one of my favorite palettes, and a Vintage Coin Purse Kit, a gift from Cultured Expressions, so you can create your own. Good Luck, everyone!

With your nine blocks now complete, we all THANK YOU for participating, and we hope you’ve enjoyed the process so far! Congratulations — your efforts will soon be well rewarded ; ) See you next week for the Big Reveal!!Late to the party? Start from the beginning!

Thanks to everyone for your enthusiastic comments about the Quilted Crow Girls’ wool collection and new book by Martingale! We learned that many of you have never tried wool applique on cotton, so we hope you’ll enjoy this new creative endeavor with some help from the Crows, Martingale and Marcus. We’re pleased to announce that the winner of the wool bundle and eBook is Faith Stanton of Trenton, FL! Congratulations, Faith — your autumn-toned FQ pack from THE SEASONS WOOL COLLECTION and eBook are on the way to you!

All other quilting friends, watch for the full 20-color range of these juicy wools and coordinating POMEGRANATE LANE cotton prints in your local quilts shops now!

Who doesn’t love fabric? From Reproduction prints to contemporary designs to a stashful of basics, we know just how special they are to us. And our friends at the Fabric Shop Network have done it again, creating a special event around our collective love for all things FABRIC! This time, they’ve created a three-day celebration called “I LOVE FABRIC DAYS.” From August 14 to 16, 2014, fabric lovers across the country can enter to win $50 shopping sprees at the favorite local quilt shops (check here for yours!) If your favorite shop isn’t involved yet, let them know that there’s still time for them to join in the fun with a special Treasure Hunt and other activities.

If you share Nancy Rink’s interest in the history of the Lowell mill workers, you’ll love MILL WORKS, her new fabric line and accompanying BOM program! Her inspiration comes from swatches of the American Textile History Museum, and the colors reflect the spirit of the Industrial Revolution in the U.S. (1820-1870). Don’t you love this palette of cool tones anchored by neutrals? It’s a look to enjoy all year long!

Here we are, in the midst of National CRAFT Month, with National QUILTING Day just ahead on March 15, and thanks to the National Quilting Association, it seems even that has been extended into National Quilting Month! Why not? That just gives us 30 additional excuses to indulge our passion for beautiful fabrics, patterns, gadgets and embellishments! Check out NQA’s free pattern in honor of the the month-long event, Stash Attack.

Taking a good thing a step further, March 15 has also been designated Worldwide Quilting Month, with a list of participating shops that grows each year, offering shopping sprees and events galore!

To top it off, March is also Women’s History Month, so no matter how or what you choose to celebrate, you’ve still got time ; ) Visit your local quilt shops, craft retailers and fabric stores for some great inspiration…Enjoy!

We caught up with Pam and got some extra insights into her new PRAIRIE STITCHES line, and her love for all things Prairie!Here’s what she shared…

You might be surprised to learn where fabric designers get inspirations for new fabric collections. I looked to my collection of antique quilts and vintage fabrics for Prairie Stitches.
The main floral print in the line came from a vintage piece of fabric I picked up at an antique show several years ago.

What drew me to it was its simplistic, country styling which is at the heart of my prairie style. The floral motif is about as large a floral as I like to use, and I started to image it in other colors.
With some fabrics, imagining the possibilities can be the most difficult part, and that is at the heart of the job of fabric design. I knew what I wanted the end result to be, and worked hand in hand with Marcus’ design director, Faye Burgos, to make it happen.

Notice the original antique fabric has a solid dark brown background.I decided to add a little texture to the backgrounds of my prints which gives a soft, subtle feel to an otherwise flat background.

There are slight differences in the leaves and flowers on each of the prints, to best show off the floral motif on the different colored backgrounds.

I’m just delighted about the way it all turned out!

I’m working on the quilt I designed for this collection, called Ada’s Prairie Stitches, and loving how it’s all coming together! Both the fabric collection,and my new pattern will be in quilt shops in April!

Moving on to Redlands, Pati checks in with the Painted Lady Quilt Shop. It’s a true haven for Judie Rothermel fans: a customer work-in-progress featuring Pine Tree Lodge (upper left); a full wall of her prints (lower right photo), and Kerri, who owns the shop, reports that 30 people already signed up for the Civil War: PEACE & UNITY Block of the Month (lower left). At upper right is Faye Burgos’ LOVE & GLORY. Judging from these pics, it’s probably safe to say that combinations of blue with red are probably popular in Redlands as well!